Period Piece
Diverse Cast
Drama
15 Minutes
Synopsis
It's the Civil War. Battles, death, victory, and defeat. From 1863-1865, the Rock Island, Illinois Union Army Prison held Confederate soldiers. In 1864 replacement guards are needed -- runaway slaves who recently escaped to join the Union in exchange for their freedom – are assigned to guard the Confederates POWs. Yes! There’s a new guard in town!
Joy Shannon
WRITER/DIRECTOR
Rock Island, Illinois is my hometown. My goal is to bring the story Rock Island Prison 1864 to life on TV, streaming or on the big screen, in honor of the 108th Regiment, The United States Colored Infantry. Living in Los Angeles, Joy’s other works include the award-winning, social commentary comedy, Karen’s Judgment Day. Also, After The LockDown: Black In LA, an award-winning docuseries on COVID-19 and Black Los Angeles; My Dead Selfie, 3rd Generation Female Gangsta, animated shorts and music videos. After The LockDown: Black In LA passionately preserves the voices of Blacks in Los Angeles during the pandemic and was collectively made by filmmakers in Joy’s family, Charles Burnett and his son Jonathan Burnett. My Dead Selfie is a feature-length supernatural horror thriller on deception and race in an interracial marriage. And the award-winning, 3rd Generation Female Gangsta shot in 16mm. It’s a low-budget crime drama about an LA teen caught in a family of criminals and her desire to break out. Joy’s first 16mm feature was filmed in Washington, DC. Straight out of film school, she made Rags To Reality, but when she sold her home video rights, the title was changed to UpTown Angel, and the film was sold in Blockbuster. Joy was told by a Black film scholar that her film was the first feature-length movie made by a Black woman to be placed in Blockbuster. The film’s theme song was sung by Jennifer Holiday of Dream Girls.
